Check It. Cheap Monday sunglasses.

It may be raining outside, but that hasn't stopped me from dreaming about sunglasses. It is springtime, after all! And after seeing these Cheap Monday sunnies, I can't help but hope for some sunshine. The best part? These are only $35 each.

The catch: for now the only place I know that sells these unisex gems is in New York -- but they do ship anywhere in the U.S. So set your orders now, and get ready to show these off once the rays shine through.

-- Chau Tu

Eat Out. Whole Foods teriyaki bowls.

This photo doesn't exactly do my teriyaki tofu rice bowl justice. There's some condensation going on because I drove with the steaming bowl sealed shut from the 3rd & Fairfax Whole Foods to Los Feliz last night. But, when I got in and ate it, it was still delicious.

I've had the chicken option for lunch, too, and it's very tasty. You can choose white or dark meat chicken, which is cooked to perfection and really delicious drenched in sweet teriyaki.

Recently I made the switch for the most part from white to brown rice, and with a meal like this, the brown rice adds substantial flavor. Like having an actual other ingredient rather than just filler.

Bell peppers and bok choy round this out to be a great option for lunch or dinner.

Well-priced too - $6.05 for the tofu bowl. I think the white meat chicken bowl is close to $8.

Click here to find a Whole Foods Market near you.

-- Leslie Anne Wiggins

Photo credit: the BEAT

Do It. UCLA vs. USC women's soccer.

College sports are always a lot of fun--from football to swimming, to basketball and soccer.

This Friday night, Los Angeles rivals UCLA Bruins and USC Trojans play each other in women's soccer at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. They're hoping to break an attendance record and get more than 7,804 people in the stands! Both Pac-10 teams have high ranks (19 for USC, 23 for USC), so this will definitely be a good game. The first 2,500 fans will receive a free commemorative scarf.

Friday October 22 at 7:00 p.m.

The Coliseum is located at 3939 South Figueroa Street in Los Angeles. Tickets are $5 for general admission, and are available online, and by calling (213) 740-GOSC.

-- Leslie Anne Wiggins

Photo credit: soccer-picture.net

Eat Out. New Chipotle Locations in L.A.

In college, I frequented the Marina del Rey Chipotle--it's in a nice convenient shopping center, and they gave LMU students free fountain drinks. Recently, I've returned a couple times after a new location opened on Sunset and Vine in Hollywood. Soon after, one opened on Wilshire's Miracle Mile.

An item on the menu that's new since my LMU days (when I would most often get the vegetarian burrito bowl with onions and peppers) is the barbacoa--"spicy, shredded beef, slowly braised for hours in a blend of chipotle pepper abodo, cumin, cloves, garlic and oregano until tender and moist." Tender and moist (and delicious!) it is.

Their tortilla chips and guacamole are also great. The chips are tossed with lime juice and salt, and the guacamole has a nice spice to it.

Perfect with an icy Coke, or a Corona.

Two recently opened Chipotle locations in L.A. are at 1460 Vine Street in Hollywood, and 5550 Wilshire Boulevard in Los Angeles. Info: chipotle.com.

-- Leslie Anne Wiggins

Photo credit: the BEAT

Advance Notice. Mulberry for Target.

Target's designer collaborations just keep getting better. On October 10, the Mulberry for Target line launches, and it's stylish and affordable. The high-end British line's leather bags go for about $1,000--but the Target collection's five pieces are all under $50.

Mulberry bags are classic--basic colors and shapes, made of quality leather and hardware. Kind of like a British version of Hermés. Not the kind of bag that you just carry for one season.

Fashion "It" girl Alexa Chung is such a Mulberry fan that they've named a cross-body bag after her. Other fans include Kate Moss and Naomi Watts.

Target is located at 7100 Santa Monica Boulevard in West Hollywood, and other locations nationwide. Info: target.com.

-- Leslie Anne Wiggins

Photo credit: style.com

Eat Out. Wat Dong Moon Lek.

Wat Dong Moon Lek is a great Thai restaurant in Silver Lake. A coworker told me about it, and I've been hooked ever since! The Panang curry (with tofu) is my favorite, but I recently started getting the Pad Thai (with chicken) and it's definitely as good. My guess it that everything on the menu is worth a try, really. I've brought a couple friends here and they loved it too.

The service is prompt and friendly when you eat in, and picking up take-away is convenient. It's located in a small strip mall which usually has at least a couple free parking spaces. Inside, it's comfortable and clean with interesting American pop culture sketches on the walls.

They make a fantastic Thai iced tea, and decent sticky rice too (better there than if you get it take-away, when the sitting time can make it clump together). Most menu items are very reasonably priced, at about $8. Cash only.

Wat Dong Moon Lek is located at 4356 Fountain Ave. in Silver Lake. (323) 666-5993

-- Leslie Anne Wiggins

Photo credit: watdongmoonlek.com

Advance Notice. John Derian for Target.

The "East Village master of decoupage plates, trays, lamps, and other decorative items" as the New York Times' T Magazine Blog calls him, is back in L.A.--via Target.

When high-end designer John Derian's 2008 collection for Target was on shelves, I picked up a bathroom trash bin and a picture frame. This time 'round, there are more items I'm excited about. Trays, plates, and mugs, all in his signature style. The old-fashioned profile items are very cool, I think, and the three-tier tray (pictured above, $14.99) would be perfect for a tea party.

The line is officially in select stores Sunday September 5.

Target is located at 7100 Santa Monica Blvd. (at La Brea) in West Hollywood.

-- Leslie Anne Wiggins

Photo credit: Target

Eat Out. Dim Sum Truck.

Admittedly, I'm not that picky when it comes down to food, but if I had to pick one meal I'd be down to eat at all times despite its wholly unhealthiness, it'd be dim sum. The small bites, Asian version of tapas is the go-to cuisine for my family whenever there's a special occasion, and I absolutely love it in all its greasy and often-fried glory.

So upon hearing about dim sum hitting the food truck craze, I was pretty excited. I tried to keep my expectations low, to much failure, but I needn't have worried--the Dim Sum truck, for lack of better word, delivered.

Dim sum was pretty much made for the food truck; small, simple portions that are filling but quick to eat. The BBQ pork buns--a personal dim sum fave--had great flavor. The buns were the perfect soft consistency, and though the pork was quite fatty, that's how dim sum should be (but be wary if you're not into that, I guess). The truck had run out of the sesame balls the first time I visited, but I was able to get them next time. They were pretty big (the order had two) and were crunchy with not-too-sweet red bean paste inside. The pork and shu mai dumplings were pretty spot on too, with a lot of texture and flavor to them.

At $2-4 for each dish, the truck is super affordable and perfect for a lunch run. It's also sure to satisfy dim sum fans and newbies alike, so start lining up already!

-- Chau Tu

Photo credit: BBQ pork buns, theBEAT

Eat Out. Bella Pita.

If there's anything I learned from my time studying abroad in London, it was the value of finding a good pint of beer and good falafel. The first, thankfully, L.A. is abundant with; the second, I have found a bit more difficult to come by.

The search will always continue, but for now I've found a pretty cozy spot. Bella Pita is a tiny shop on the Westside that's no bigger than a living room, but it packs a big Mediterranean cuisine punch. Get your green falafel patties in a pita or a cone, or opt for the 'wowshi,' which the L.A. Times calls "a panini meets pita sandwich meets burrito item." The pitas, as seen above, are pretty huge as it is, though--especially with a tempting salad bar with all the filling goodies you would ever need, including 'really really hot sauce.' But with all the ingredients fresh and baked to order, using only canola or olive oils, the food actually tastes light and not greasy at all.

Top out your meal with fries (delicious!) and a drink (classic Martinelli's in a glass bottle!), and you still won't even hit close to $10. Ah, the value of good falafel!

Bella Pita is located at 1945 1/2 Westwood Blvd. in West L.A. or 960 Gayley Ave. in Westwood (this location stays open until 2am!).

-- Chau Tu

Photo credit: theBEAT

Eat Out. Umami Burger's happy hour [Thirsty Thursdays!].

Umami Burger deserves a more food-centric post on their juicy burgers, and that will come ... but this Thursday I'd just like to point out what a fantastic happy hour they have.

From 3:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. Monday - Friday, at the bar, they have $4 draft beer (a nice variety of domestic and imported brews) as well as $5 "smash burgers" which are 1 oz. less than their regular menu burgers, but just as (if not more) delicious. So, for $9 (before tax and tip) you can have quite a satisfying little gourmet dinner. Or, you can just stop by for a cold beer (or two) and some piping hot sweet potato fries.

Umami Burger is located at 4655 Hollywood Blvd. in Los Feliz.
There are also La Brea Ave. and Cahuenga Blvd. locations.

-- Leslie Anne Wiggins

Photo credit: images.businessweek.com

Eat Out. Malo makes Monday a fun day.

Just east of Fountain on Sunset (next to the Elliott Smith wall) is a little Mexican restaurant called Malo that gets packed on Monday nights for their taco night.

Many restaurants go for Tuesday Taco nights, perhaps simply because alliteration can be fun ... Don Antonio's dollar taco night is the place to be on Wednesdays, but Malo is very wise--I think--to take on Mondays. Nobody likes Mondays, but knowing there's something fun to do on Monday night makes the morning (and day) a little better.

Malo's has delicious margaritas and their taco night has a great selection, including eggplant and potato ($1), and lobster ($5).

Malo is located at 4326 W. Sunset Blvd. in Silver Lake.

-- Leslie Anne Wiggins

Photo credit: beautifulsilverlake.com

Eat Out. Lee's Sandwiches.

Confession: although (and in my defense, because) I've lived off delicious Vietnamese food all my life, I'm really, really bad at describing what any of it is and at recommending any good places to eat it other than my mother's kitchen. Sorry, friends.

Thankfully, I've come up with a good stand-by that's always done a good job of impressing the uninitiated. Lee's Sandwiches is a fairly new franchise and totally commercializes Vietnamese cuisine, but what a livesaver it is, and delectable at that. The shops specialize in banh mi--the go-to baguette sandwiches traditionally filled with pork, pate, pickled carrots, cilantro and chili peppers (although Lee's features many varieties)--but also sell some of the best coffee around, boba, baked goods and other desserts.

The best part? The foot-long sandwiches run about $3 each, making it a perfect, cheap lunch (or dinner or breakfast or snack). The worst part? Most Lee's in Southern California are based in the O.C. (here's a list of store locations). Pick and choose your battles..but their coffee is pretty awesome (and addicting).

-- Chau Tu

Photo credit: Lee's

Eat In. Mac and Cheese.

OK, believe it or not, homemade macaroni is one of the easiest things I've ever made. And the pay-off is ridiculous. The recipe below makes 6ish servings (it makes as much in the picture above), but you could probably half the ingredients or play around with it until it feeds as many as you'd like. Also, be aware that there is--in my rough estimation--7000 calories packed in here. But hey, that's comfort food for you.

Ingredients:

• 1 lb. elbow macaroni
• 3 tblsp. butter (plus a little extra to grease the baking pan)
• 3 tblsp. flour
• 2 cups cream
• 6 cups of cheese (we used cheddar and monterey jack)
• 6 slices of bacon*
• Salt, pepper, and whatever spices you like (we used a mix of cayenne, garlic powder, onion powder, and a bit of nutmeg)
• breadcrumbs for topping

Directions:

• Prepare the macaroni according to the package (or, you know, boil it in water with a little bit of salt and oil, duh).
• Cook the bacon in a skillet, crumble or slice it, and make sure to reserve the delicious, greasy fat.
• Melt the butter in a sauce pan.
• Once the butter is done foaming, add the flour and whisk until all the lumps are gone.
• Let the roux (aka the butter and flour) darken to a sandy blonde.
• Whisk in salt, pepper, and spices
• Add the cream slowly, whisking the whole time until it's smooth.
• Dump in the cheese and whisk until everything is melted and tasty.
• Mix the cheese sauce, bacon bites, and drained pasta in the pasta pot.
• Pour the yummy mixture into a greased glass baking pan ( 13x9, maybe?).
• Spoon a few tablespoons of the reserved bacon fat into the breadcrumbs and mix until crumbly.
• Top your casserole with extra cheese and breadcrumbs.
• Bake at 375ish for 20ish minutes-- basically until the breadcrumbs are toasty and the cheese is bubbly.

*This is totally optional. I'd imagine you could also use a veggie, like peas. However, if you do opt out of the bacon, have some melted butter on hand to toss the breadcrumbs in.

-- Heather Robertson

Make It. Decorating with wrapping paper.

I really would like my apartment to be well-designed and covered in unique art pieces, but even framing $35 prints that take up about thismuch wall space is simply not in my budget. At Kelly Green the other day though (check it out in person, the website is terrible), I found a solution. Above the cash register they had displayed some beautiful wrapping paper in a frame. Brilliant! So I bought some for myself and 3 dollars--plus a cheap-o ikea frame--later, I had a wintry birch tree scene decorating nearly 2.5 feet of bare wall. Look at this Peacock I found on Amazon:

It just goes to show how relative price is. Designer gift wrap is super expensive if you're using it only to pretty-up presents. But if you're wrapping your home with it? Well, then it's a steal. Look for high quality papers with non-repeating patterns and come in manageable sheet sizes (you don't want to measure and cut off a roll). Check out some examples I found at the Paper Studio below.

-- Heather Robertson

Photo credits: Amazon and The Paper Studio

Eat Out. The Grilled Cheese Truck.

Reason #2787538 I love living on my block of Sunset:

I walked across the street to Walgreen's to pick up a few travel essentials tonight (because I'm leaving for a week in Massachusetts tomorrow!!!) and on my way back, I was starting to feel hungry. I cleaned out my fridge earlier (we all know how old food freaks me out) and, in my mad dash to pack, I sort of forgot to feed myself dinner. So I was bummed because I had just left the store and--for once--I didn't really feel like getting a slice of pizza at Two Boots. But then, lo and behold, parked not twenty feet from my door was LA's newest food truck, The Grilled Cheese Truck.

OK. Amazing. I got the Harvest Melt, which has Gruyere, butternut squash, leeks, balsamic, a bit of agave syrup for sweetness, and thyme. And I got it for $5. What an unexpected, convenient, cheap, and toasty/melty delight! A Festivus miracle, really.

But that isn't the half of it. Curbside, this place dishes up bbq pork, mac and cheese, a grilled desert sandwich with banana, Nutella, and marshmallow, and, last but not least, grilled cheese's trusty sidekick--tomato soup.

Brilliant!

The truck began making its rounds in late October when a couple of grilled cheese enthusiasts preparing for LA's Grilled Cheese Invitational (isn't this town rad?!) decided to take the show on the road.

Like every food truck in LA, you can follow this guy on Twitter and Facebook.

-- Heather Robertson

Eat In. Mini casseroles.

I love casseroles. Maybe that makes me trashy. But mostly, it just makes me my mother's daughter. We ate quite a few meals from a baking pan. Never had green bean casserole, but there was plenty of Mexican lasagna, chicken and biscuits (I requested my mother make this for me when I go home to Massachusetts for X-Mas), and chicken divan.

The thing about casseroles though is that they are usually way too much food and preparation for a single girl. I don't have time to cook up pounds of chicken and veggies and there is no way I'm going to eat it all. I freak out when leftovers have been in my fridge longer than a day.

But I've discovered a quick, economical solution: mini loaf pans. They are disposable (I don't like dishes so much, but I have no doubt they make glass or metal ones), come in packs of 5 at the dollar store, and are perfectly portioned for one. It allows me to have fresh comfort food for a couple days. Here's my recipe for a veggie casserole that is incredibly inexact, takes whatever you have on hand, and pretty much the best thing I've ever made up.

Ingredients:

• About 3/4 cup frozen veggies or enough to fill the pan to the top. Whatever you have handy. I like to keep lots of options hanging out (they're frozen, why not?), so I usually include peas, green beans, carrots, broccoli, cauliflower, and potatoes.
• Around 1/3 can of any condensed cream soup. I'm big on plain ol' Cream of Mushroom, but I will also use Cheddar Cheese soup, Cream of Potato, and I'm sure Cream of Celery or even Cream of Asparagus would be delish.
• Roughly 2 tablespoons of sour cream.
• A palmful of cheddar cheese.
• A generous sprinkling of parmesean. No canned powder stuff. At least get the pre-shredded kind that resembles the actual hard cheese. Why? Because we may be broke, but we still care about ourselves just a little bit.
• Breadcrumbs. Or crushed up crackers. Hell, even Cheez-Its. Whatever you got, baby.
• Pepper and oregano or your favorite herbs and spices to taste. No salt though, that soup contains more than enough sodium!

Directions:

• Thaw the veggies in the microwave or in a pot of water (no need to heat all the way, the idea is to keep the finished product a little crisp).
• Combine the soup, sour cream, and cheddar in a bowl. Season with pepper and oregano.
• Stir in the veggies.
• Pile it into the pan and top with bread crumbs, parm, and more oregano and pepper.
• Bake at 350 for 30 minutes-ish.

Now you can take that anywhere. Subtract and add until you've got dinner.

Also, don't you love how the flash makes the pan gleam in the photo? The holy grail of Heather's kitchen. For real.

-- Heather Robertson

Eat Out. Dollar taco night at Don Antonio's.

A delicious restaurant taco for $1? Yes. Wednesday nights at Don Antonio's in West L.A. from 5 p.m. till 11 p.m. The mid-week happening is always packed, so arrive early. Avoid the temptation to order rice and beans, as that will quickly add up and nullify the good deal you can get by making dollar tacos an awesome and inexpensive dinner. Although I do recommend a margarita along with the tacos--either while you're waiting at the bar, or to celebrate when you finally get a table. Feliz Diciembre.

Don Antonio's is located at 11755 W Pico Blvd. in West Los Angeles

-- Leslie Anne Wiggins

Photo credit: Citysearch